Russia avoids blanket ban from Rio Games

Doping: IOC under fire after it ignores worldwide calls to get tough on country over its widespread drugs programme

The International Olympic Committee’s refusal to ban Russia from the Rio Games has been strongly criticised by United States Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart.

Despite wide calls for Russia to be thrown out of the games for running a state-directed doping programme, the IOC’s executive board opted against a blanket ban and asked each sport to vet proposed Russian competitors individually.

This is effectively what athletics, the Olympics’ largest sport, has already done, with only one US-based Russian now likely to take part in Rio’s track and field programme.

But Tygart believes the IOC should be taking responsibility for ensuring clean sport in Rio, and not passing the buck.

“Many, including clean athletes and whistle-blowers, have demonstrated courage and strength in confronting a culture of state-supported doping and corruption within Russia,” said Tygart.

“Disappointingly, however, in response to the most important moment for clean athletes and the integrity of the Olympic Games, the IOC has refused to take decisive leadership.

“The decision regarding Russian participation and the confusing mess left in its wake is a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes.”

USADA was one of many anti-doping bodies, including the World AntiDoping Agency (Wada), that wanted IOC-level action against Russia.

Tygart fears the other 27 federations that govern sports in the summer programme will simply not have the time or resources to do what the International Association of Athletics Federations spent months planning.

With Rio’s opening ceremony less than two weeks away, the IOC’s decision means each sport will have to make an “individual analysis” of every Russian competitor, which will then be subject to final approval by an “independent arbitrator” from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

One athlete who may consider fighting the ‘double punishment’ is Russian 800m runner Yuliya Stepanova, who was one of only two Russians to be cleared to compete by the IAAF but now finds herself banned again by the IOC.

Stepanova and her anti-doping expert husband, who were forced to flee Russia and now live in the US, were the first two whistle-blowers to inform Wada about Russia’s cheating, but she has served a two-year doping ban.

For Russia, the IOC’s compromise solution was probably the best they could have hoped for, especially after losing the appeal against the IAAF stance and Friday’s decision by the International Paralympic Committee to start the process of banning their team from the Paralympics in September.

“Today the IOC showed a balanced approach,” Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said on Sky News.

Today the IOC showed a balanced approach. RUSSIAN SPORTS MINISTER VITALY MUTKO